The Three Tuns Hotel Wetherspoon

This old coaching inn with a traditional welcome rests in the centre of a Yorkshire market town, made famous by James Herriot. The Three Tuns Hotel is close to both the A1 and the A19 for business travellers and 2 national parks for those with more time to spare. The hotel is less than an hour's drive from York, Harrogate and Durham. The hotel lies between 2 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors. Built in 1698 by the local lords of the manor, by 1740 it was a coaching inn. It still retains many of its original features including the staircase and panelled dining room. The original stables still exist today. There is a bar that serves real ale. The most famous guests were William Wordsworth, accompanied by his sister Dorothy, who stayed in 1802, and James Herriot, better known in Thirsk as Alf Wight. Alf wrote about his life as a country vet in books such as 'All Creatures Great and Small', and regularly came in for liquid inspiration. His old surgery is nearby and is now a visitors' centre.